Feeding mechanism for stocking-seaming machines



Nov. 20, 1928. 1,692,130

w. B. LONG ET AL FEEDING MECHANISM FOR STOCKING SEAMING MACHINES Filed Sept. 30, 1925 EC? r 1 //l H i* .1 o

Patented Nov. 20, 1 928.

. UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcawmmam: B. LONG, or cnrcaso, AND LOUIS SLIWA,,OF CICERO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO UNION SPECIAL MACHINE COMPANY, OF

or InamoIs.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS A CORPORATION FEEDING MECHANISM FOR STOCKING SEAMING MACHINES.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements \IH feeding mechanisms for stocking seaming machines, and more par 7 using the present type of clutch feeds for this purpose, particularly in high speed machines for the reason that the gripping members 0 the clutch do not operate quick enough to grip and turn the feed cup a full stitch length, and also grip and hold the feed cup from retrograde movement. This has been caused in part by wear of the parts and in part b the slow action of spring means used or ho ding the "clutch dogs in proper position to cause the moving part to be gripped or clutched to the part to be moved.

An object of the present invention is to rovide a roller clutch device for turning the eed cup which is so constructed that the wear on the parts which are clutched together, and

also on the rollers which cause said parts to be clutched together, with a construction which insures that the point of gripping contact between the members shifts, so that the wear is distributed throughout the entire surface of the roller and along the surface of the part which forces the roller into gripping contact with the clutch drum and thereby turns the drum.

A further object of the invention is to rovide a spring lever means for forcing the eed rollers into contact with the surface of the clutch drum, which spring lever means can be made sufiiciently strong to insure a quick movement of the roller.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part be hereinafter more fully'disclosed.

i In the drawings which show b way of illustration one embodiment of the tion- Fi 1 is a view partly in section and partly in si e elevation of the inner feed cup operating mechanism;

Application filed September 30, 1925. Serial No. 59,748.

inven- Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional ,view di-' rectly above the clutch drum, looking down. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the operatmg mechanism for the inner feed cup with a portion of the clutch plate broken away, and

Fig. 4 1s a viewpartly in side elevation and partly in section of the triangular block which holds the rollers in engagement with the clutch drum.

The invention is particularly adapted for use in a cup feed sewing machine of the type shown in the patent granted to J ames- R. Mofi'att, November 13, 1917, No. 1,246,302. The improved clutch mechanism is shown as applied to this type of machine in Fig; 1 of the drawings, and is utilized for the purpose of lntermittently rotating the inner feed cup. The clutch mechanism is attached to the lower end of the shaft which carries the inner feed cup. This clutch mechanism includes a lindrical recess. This triangular block 17 is v rigidly secured to the clutch plate 4, which is oscillated back and forth by the link 5 which in turn is operated by the shaft 7, and the shaft 7 is in turn operated by the eccentric 10.

The triangular block 17 is secured to the clutch plate 4 by screws 21 (see Fig. 2 The clutch plate is held on the lower en of the shaft and adjacent the triangular .block 17 by means of a roller 19 which is secured to the shaft 13 by a set screw 20. The clutch plate is not secured to the shaft but is free to oscillate thereon. The triangular block 18 is rigidly secured to the frame of the machine by screws similar to the screws 21 securing the block 17 to the clutch plate 4. These screws are passed through the-openings 22 in the block, and "the part of the frame which supports and surrounds the shaft 13 is the part to which this triangular block 18 is r1g1d1y attached. This blockserves to prevent retrograde movement of the clutch drum. These triangular blocks are similar in construction and interchangeable, and in order that they may be made interchangeable, each block has recesses 22 extending there- 1 through, and at the ends of the central portions of the recesses are enlargements 23. When a screw is inserted in one direction through the block, the head will rest in one recess, and when inserted in the other direction through the block, it will rest in the other recess, and thus the blocks will be properly clamped in the assembling of the clutch parts. Associated with each trian lar block are three rollers 24, 24, 24. T ese rollers are long arm 27 whichenga-ges a clutchroller 24.

This long arm 27 of the spring is, in effect, a lever, and in view of the fact that it is made strong, it operates very quickly to force the roller 24 outwardly into contact with the inner face of the clutch drum.

The clutch roller 24 associated with the triangular block 18 are for the purpose of gripping the drum to prevent retrograde movement thereof. The clutch rollers 24 associated with the triangular block 17 are for the purpose of intermittently rotating the clutch drum and the shaft to which it is connected. This 'lower block 17 as has been stated, is carried by the clutch plate 4. The

operation of the parts through the swinging of this clutch plate will be made clear from the view in Fig. 3. When the clutch plate is moved in a clockwise direction as viewed in said figure, the flat face of the triangular block 17 will be so moved as to release its grip on the roller 24 associated therewith.

This is the movement of the clutch plate which enables the clutch rollers to get a new grip upon the clutch drum. The spring 26 operates'to force the roller outwardly into contact with the inner surface of the clutch drum, and it is the long spring lever arm 27 that accomplishes'this result. It will be apparent therefore, that the spring will act very quickly and will maintain the clutch rollers in contact with the drum. The movement of the clutch lever above referred to which releases the rollers from gripping engagement with the clutch drum, will roll the rollers along said surface by reason of the fact that the spring continually holds the wear on said surface. forms no part of the present invention, but

roller in contact with the surface of the clutch drum. It is understood, of course, that all three rollers operate precisely in the same way. This rolling of the roller along the surface of the clutch drum will continually shift the position where it will grip the clutch drum and also the clutch operating triangular block, and thus distribute the wear on the roller. The inner surface of the clutchdrum is preferably made slightly eccentric to the axis of the shaft in order to distribute the This feature, however,

is clearly shown and described in the patent to Dudley S. Seymour, granted January 21, 1919, No. 1,292,099.

From the above it will be apparent that a clutch operating mechanism has been provided wherein the points of gripping contact, both in the mechanism for turning the feed cup and inthe mechanism for holding the feed cup from turning, are constantly shifting. That is to say, the point of contact between the roller and the feed drum shifts at each retrograde movement of the operating lever. The point on the roller which engages the clutch drum also shifts with each oscillation of the operating lever, by reason of the fact that the roller rolls along the surface of the feed drum. Owing to the fact that the feed drum is eccentric to the axis of oscillength, and to insure the holding of the feed wheel from movement when the clutch parts are returnlng for a0ther gripping engagement with the clutch drum. -The springs v which force the rollers of the clutch mechanism into contact with the surface to be gripped operate very quickly, and even though the machine be driven at a speed of three thousand or more stitches per minute, which means, of course, the same number of step by step movements of the clutch mechanism per minute, there will be no slippage or lost movement.

While we have shown and described our improved clutch mechanism in connection with a feed cup, it will be understood, of course, that it maybe used in connection with other rotating parts in a sewing machine where it is desired to turn said parts step by step in the same direction, and imparts step movements of uniform length thereto, and therefore, the invention is not limited to the detail mechanism shown and described, but is sufficiently broad to cover all the mechanical equivalents and uses thereof as set forth ble member.

we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A clutch mechanism including a clutch drum connected to said rotatable member, an oscillating flat-sided member, a roller'be tween a flat side on said last-named member and the inner surface of said clutch drum, a spring mounted on said flat si'ded member and so disposed relative to said member as to force the'roller outwardly away from the flat-sided member and into rolling contact with said clutch drum whereby when said flat-sided member-is oscillated in one direction, the roller will be gripped against the clutch drum and impart a forward movement thereto, and whereb when said flatsided memberis oscillate in the opposite direction, the roller will roll along the inner surface of the clutch drum thereby shifting the next gripping point of the roller.

2. In a sewing machine, a rotatable member,a clutch mechanism for imparting step bystep rotating movements thereto including a clutch drum connected to said rotatable member, an oscillating flat-sided member, springs mounted on said flat-sided member, a series of rollers engagin the inner wall of said clutch drum and hel in spaced relation by said flat-sided member and in contact with the wall of said clutch drum by said springs, said flat-sided member, clutch drum, rollers and springs being so disposed relative to each.

other that the grlpping points of the rollers, clutch drum and flat-sided member are shifted at each successive stroke of said fiat-sided member.

3. In a sewing machine, a rotatable member, a clutch mechanism for imparting step by step rotating movements thereto including a clutch drum connected to said rotatable member, an oscillatin flat-sided member, a roller between said at-sided member, and the inner face of said clutch drum, a sprin mounted on said fiat-sided member an adapted to engage said roller and move said roller outwar y away from the flat-sided member into contact with said clutch drum, said flat-sided member and spring. being so disposed relative to the roller and clutch drum that said roller is caused to roll along the inner face of the clutch drum duringthe retrograde movement of the flat-sided member, and to immediately grip the inner face of said clutch drum during the forward movement of said fiat-sided member for imparting astep movement to said clutch drum and through said clutch drum to said rot-ata- 4. A feeding mechanism for sewing machines comprising a rotatable feed wheel, a clutch drum connected thereto, an oscillating clutch plate, a flat-sided block carried by said clutch plate and located within said drum, a roller between the flat side of the plate and the inner surface of the clutch drum, a lever spring for pressin said roller toward the surface of the clut drum and holding the same continuously in contact therewith whereby when said clutch plate is moved to release the roller from gripping the clutch drum, said roller will roll on said drum and thereby change the wear on the roller.

5. A feeding mechanism for sewing ma chines comprising a rotatable feed wheel, a clutch drum connected to said feed wheel, an oscillating clutch plate, a flat-sided block carried by said plate and located within said clutch drum, a roller between the flat side of said block and the inner face of the drum, and a spring coiled intermediate its ends and having one end therof rigidly connected to said block, the other end of said spring bearing against said roller and normally forcing the same outwardly into continuous contact with the clutch drum. I

6. A feeding mechanism forf sewing machines comprismg a rotatablefeed wheel, a clutch drum connected to said feed wheel, an oscillating clutch plate, a flat-sided block carried by said plate and located within said clutch drum, a roller between the flat side of said block and the inner face of the drum, a spring wire bent intermediate the ends and again coiled intermediate its len h after being bent so as to form two exten ing lever arms, said block having grooves formed therein adapted to receive the ends of thespring wire, and a headed screw for clamping the wire in said rooves, said spring being arranged so that t e free spring lever arm thereof bears against the roller and normally forces said roller out into continuous contact with said clutch drum. g '7. A feeding mechanism for sewing machines comprising a rotatable feed wheel, a

Iplate mounted on said shaft and freely osci ating thereon, a block secured to said cliitch plate and extending a clutch drum mounted on into said clutch drum, said block having a series of flat faces thereon, a roller between each flat face and the inner surface of said clutch drum, a spring for each roller, said spring being coiled so as to form an extended spring lever arm, said springs being mounted on said block and engagingthe respective rollers so as to force the rollers outwardly into contact with the clutch drum.

8. A sewin machine including in combination a rotata 1e feed wheel, a clutch drum connected thereto,-an oscillating plate at one end of saiddrum and having a flat-sided block extending into the adjacent end of the clutch drum, a flat-sided block secured to the frame of the machine and extending into the other end of the clutch drum, rollers between said blocks and the inner face of the clutch drum, a spring associated with each roller and having a relatively long spring arm for through the rollers associated therewith will forcing the rollers outwardl into contact prevent retrograde movement of said clutch with the clutch drum, where y the oscilladrum. n 10 tion of the block connected to the clutch plate In testimony whereof we aifix our signawill intermittently rotate said feed wheel tures.

in one direction, and whereby the block at WILLIAM B. LONG.

the other side of the clutch drum operating LOUIS SLIWA. 

